The new(?) ceramic peelers

[velveeta]

I tried one today at a kitchen shop. It seemed to take a very thin peel off of a carrot. Does anyone have comments about these good or bad? Don't remember the brand. There were two types

Or are they not so new?

[helenjp]

I have one. It is very efficient. However, I notice that both my peeler and my small ceramic petit knife (different brands)have small chips or flakes along the edge. I don't notice any difficulty when using them, and I've had them at least a year or two, but I no longer expect them to last as long as as metal blade (my previous ceramic blade petit knife shattered when dropped...).

[Pierogi]

Not so new. I have a couple from Kyocera, who were the innovators in ceramic knives. I've probably had them for 2 or 3 years. I have a large one and a smaller one. I find I rarely use them, simply because they are the "harp" shaped peelers, rather than the traditional straight veggie peelers. I just find the harp shape more cumbersome to use.

That being said, the large one is FABULOUS for peeling hard to peel things, like hard squashes, jicama and celery root. It is really, really tough, and will power through very thick skins in a breeze. It may be a dreaded uni-tasker, but it is supremely efficient at the uni-task it performs. When I use it, its in a situation that I really need it, and nothing else will replace it.

The smaller one, not so much. I find myself reaching for my Oxo peeler, which is configured in the traditional shape, much more often. The Kyocera does a great job, I just find the feel of it weird and off-putting. The difference between it and the Oxo in terms of the amount of peel removed is, IMHO, minimal.

The other thing to get used to is the lightness of the material. I have to remind myself "hey, these are really sharp" because they almost look like toys. But they *DO* work, for sure.

Edit because apparently "efficient" is really difficult to spell !

Edited November 6, 2009 by Pierogi (log)

[saltedgreens]

I dislike ceramic tools in the kitchen. They can't get as sharp as my other tools that I sharpen myself.

I tried a kyocera peeler and it fell apart.

I prefer the carbon steel kuhn rikon. It's a harp style which I personally find the easiest to use.

[Lisa Shock]

I prefer the harp style, and own a large and small Kyocera. I have had these for 3+ years now. Mine are not chipped, but, I wash them by hand and place them in my tool drawer in their own compartment.

They are sharper than regular peelers, so it takes less effort to peel things, and the work goes by very quickly. As mentioned above, hard items are easier to peel with ceramic. I even use mine to break down raw artichokes.

My large sized one is wider than any other type of peeler I have seen, and is useful in making potato chips. (with a smaller peeler, you get tiny chips)

I still own a couple of regular steel peelers, but haven't used them in years.

[paulraphael]

I haven't tried one. Seems like a reasonable use of ceramic, since a peeler isn't something I even know how to sharpen.

The peelers I like most are the harp-style kuhn-rikon (for thicker fleshed things) and the straight messermeister (for everything else).

The messermeister works like magic. Only drawback is that the serrations leave fine grooves in whatever you peel.